In the second part of our look at preparations ahead of the tournament, those responsible for delivering a memorable spectacle have told how there was no other option for the event than the banks of the Tyne.

Stephen Savage, assistant director, public safety and regulation, Newcastle City Council

Head of Rugby World Cup operations, Stephen Savage, said: “To get this we were in competition, certainly with Sunderland, and they chose to come here which is quite important.

“I tell you what, I would have been pretty brassed off if it had gone to Sunderland.

“If the World Cup was coming to the UK and this city hadn’t have been hosting it, although questions might not have been asked at the time, there would have been now and rightly so.

“If you want to compete on the international stage then you’ve got to host these tournaments.”

Stephen is working alongside colleague Mark Jackson in bringing the biggest event in rugby union to Newcastle.

The pair have plenty of experience, having worked together on public events since 2005, including on the recent Olympics.

Stephen said: “There has been massively more planning than the Olympics because it is the council which is significantly more responsible for the delivery.

“The Olympic authority delivered most of the games, but with this the club is responsible for the ground and we’re responsible for setting up transport, infrastructure and the fanzone.

A visualisation of the Rugby World Cup 2015 logo on the Tyne Bridge

“We might be working under guidelines, but at the end of the day it’s down to us. We can’t shirk it, that’s the way it is.”

The big obstacle is dealing with an influx of thousands of tourists into the city and keeping it moving, said Mark, but he says they are up to the task.

“We will be working on routes for the teams to get to and from the ground, hotels and training facilities,” he said.

“One of the biggest pressures with transport for the Newcastle games is the movement of Scottish on the rail network, so we’re working on capacity issues with train operating companies.”

Stephen said the tournament will not cause too much disruption in the city.

“Some people might think the city is going to be mayhem,” he said. “We might have to close some roads for a bit but it isn’t really.

“If you want to host major events you are going to have some inconvenience. Whether people like it or not, to be a big city you’ve got to do it.”

St James’ Park will host three group stage matches on October 3, 9 and 10.